It’s the opening night of the Launching Pad series at Sandown Park, restricted to greyhounds with 1-6 wins and no more than 30 starts. It’s a series that annually produces some of the sport’s superstars. The heats kick off at Race 5.

BEST
Sandown Park, Race 3, Sparring (1)
He’s going to accelerate hard and lead this race, without question. The threat late is Mav Reiko (5) depending on how close he settles, Flying Dinar (2) will also be charging but from further back. Sparring will run fast sectionals that make him very difficult to reel in. Happy to rely on him building a race winning gap on Mav Reiko.

NEXT BEST
Sandown Park, Race 8, On The Prowl (3)
Good race but he’s a damn good dog. He’s had a month off and returns to Sandown Park, I’ve got no doubt most of his education would’ve been at the track and it’s the venue where we should expect the best from him. Big chance to lead the race and if he does I think he’ll win it.

BEST VALUE
Sandown Park, Race 9, Percy (5)
On a night without glaring value, this fella looks to have box speed that could take him deep into the Launching Pad series. His strength over this distance is unknown, but the value is represented by the high chance of him spearing to the front. The fastest dogs are Abdulla Zulu (7) and Bandit Swagger (8) but I’m extremely wary of how they’ll handle their draws.

WORTH THE RISK/TAKE ON
Sandown Park, Race 7, Fractions (3)
Understandably there’s big wraps on him, he’s won four of six. His speed is built from 20m onwards and in the past he’s had room through that phase, I don’t think it’s going to be as easy to find here. There’s speed either side of him and he could be brought undone before they reach the first turn.

QUADDIE
Race 5: 5,8,1
Race 6: 7,6,2,4
Race 7: 4,3,8
Race 8: 2,3